Picker spindle mounting for looms



June 2, 1931. c. J. LINDEGRENS l 1,807343 Y PICKER SPINDLE .MOUNTING FOR LOOMS Filed May .17. 1929 Y (Ib WUR/V575 Patented June 2, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CARL J'. IfINDEG-REN, 0F PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO CROMPTON @c KNOWLES LOOM WORKS, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS PICKER SPINDLE MOUNTING FOR LOOMS Application led May 17,

This' invention vrelates to improvements in picker spindles for looms and it is the general object of the invention to provide an improved mounting for the spindle which will .relieve the latter of strains due to distortion of the lay. j

In the usual loom the lay is moved back and forth by means of a pair of connectors which are located near the loomsides. The shuttle boxes extend beyond the loomsides and by reason of their momentum tend to continue moving when the connectors are momentarily at rest, with resultant twisting of the lay. In certain forms of looms it is desirable to propel the shuttle by means of al picker which slides along a picker spindle. The inner end of the spindle is usually adjacent one of the connectors but is held fast with respect tothe lay and is therefore placed under a slight twisting strain twice for each pick of the loom, bending forwardly when the lay is on front center and bending back-` wardly when the lay is on back center. It

is an important object of my present invention to provide a pivotal connection between the tion to provide a picker spindle mounting so constructed thatthe outer end of the spindle may slide freely through a support, the inner end being held by the aforesaid pivotal construction.

It is found desirable from time to time to change the location of the picker spindle with respect to the box back or the center line of the shuttle and it is a still further object of my present invention to provide the pivotal supports for the spindle with an eccentric feature which will permit the spindle to be adjusted within limited degrees relatively to the lay.

With these and other objects in view which 4will appear as the description proceeds, my

invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and setforth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein three forms of my invention are shown,

1929. Serial No. 363,842.

Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of one end of the lay having my invention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is a top pla-n view taken in the direction of arrow 2, Fig. 1, i

Fig. 3 is an enlarged rear elevation of a part of Fig. 1, showing the preferred form of mounting,

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation similar to a portion of Fig. 1 but showing a modified form of mounting adaptable to old looms,

Fig. 5 is a top plan view taken in the direction of arrow 5, of Fig. 4, and

Fig. 6 shows a further modification which is adaptable to the forms shown either in Fio's. 1 or 4.

lteferring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown a lay 10 having a lay sword 11 and a lay end 12. The latter is provided with bearings 13 which are pivotally connected to the forward end of a driving rod or connector 14. The latter is connected to the top crank shaft not shown and operates to move the lay forwardly once for each pick of the loom.

The lay may be provided with box guides 15 andlG located at the outer and inner ends Vrespectively of the lay end, said guides determining the path along which a set of shifting shuttle boxes 17 move. The lay end is provided with a slot 18 through which eX- tends a picker 19.

. The picker is slidable along a picker spin- 1 dle 20 the outer end of which extends through a barrel 21 supported by upper and lower screw eyes 22 and 23, respectively, said eyes being extended into the lay end as suggested in Fig. 2. In order to hold the barrel in position with respect to said screw eyes I provide upper vand lower holding screws 24 and 25, respectively, which pass through the eyes and into the barrel. The latter is perforated so as to receive the outer end of the spindle 20.

The matter thus far described forms no part of my present invention, the lay and lay end being of usual construction and the parts associated with the barrel for supporting the outer end of the spindle 4being shown more particularly Vin co-pending application Ser. No. 332,692.

My present invention relates more particularly to the means for mounting the inner end of the picker spindle which is seen at the left of Figs. l and 2. In the preferred form of my invention I provide the lay end with upper and lower ears 3() and 3l, respectively, which are spaced to receive a perforated eye formed on the end of the spindle 20. rIhis eye may be secured to the spindle proper in any approved manner as by welding or by an upsetting operation. A pivot pin eX- tends through the ears and the eye and is held in position by means of cotter pins rlfhe pin 233 has a comparatively tight fit with both the ears and the eye of the spindle so that the latter is held against appreciable relative movement with respect to the lay end. The fit, however, is suiliciently loose to permit the spindle to move around the axis of the pin as a pivot when the lay end moves with respect to the lay as the latter reaches the extreme limit of either its forward or backward stroke. rIhe outer end of the spindle moves freely through the barrel 2l so that said spindle is subjected to very little if any strain due to distortion of any part of the lay.

The construction described in connection with Figs. l and 2 is usable on any loom, but on old looms which are not provided with ears 30 and 31 but have formed as part of the lay end a. bearing 40 I may employ the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5 wherein a yoke 4l has a threaded extension 42 projecting into the bearing 40. A pin 43 extends through both parts of the yoke 4l and also the eye 32, said pin acting as a pivot for the spindle. The object of the construction shown in F 4 and 5 is to provide a. substitute in old looms for the ears shown in the preferred form.

In either of the forms already described I may modify the construction of the pivot pin so as to conform substantially to that shown at 50 in Fig. 6. Pin 50 may have an upper enlarged cylindrical portion 5l and alower smaller cylindrical portion 52 concentric therewith and provided on the lower end with threads 53. Intermediate the concentric portions may be located an eccentric 54 which is received by the eye of the spindle and lies between the upper and lower ears 30 and 3l when the pin 50 is applied to the preferred form of the invention. By means of a nut 55 which engages the lower end of the stud 50 the latter may be held in any adjusted position, thereby permitting limited adjustment between the spindle and the lay. It is to be understood that the form of pin shown in Fig. G may also be applied to the yoke 4l shown in Figs. 4 and 5 and it is not deemed necessary to illustrate this variation as the manner of its application will be readily understood.

It is believed from the description given that the operation of the invention will be clearly understood, the picker spindle being free to move around its pivotal pin and in this way being relieved of strains such as are common in the present forms of spindles.

From the Jforegoing it will be seen that I have provided a form of spindle mounting which will permit the spindle to move freely with the lay and should the latter twist relatively to the lay, the distortion of the latter will take place without subjecting the spindle to an strains. It will further be seen that I have provided means for applying this feature of my invention to existing looms which are not provided with the ears 30 and 3l. It will further be noted that by employing the eccentric pin shown in Fig. 6 I may provide for a limited degree of adjustment between the picker spindle and the lay. It will also be noted that the picker spindle is pivoted about an axis substantially perpen" l. In a loom having a lay movable back and forth in a given path and having a picker to move along the lay to propel a shuttle, a picker spindle along which the picker moves, and means to pivotally connect the lay and spindle, the axis of the pivot being substantially perpendicular to the spindle,

2. In a loom having a lay movable back and forth in a given path and having a picker to move along the lay to propel a shuttle, a picker spindle along which the picker moves, and means to pivotally connect the lay and the spindle with an axis transvers-e of the path of movement of the lay.

3. In a loom having a lay movable back and forth in a given path and having a picker to move along the lay to propel a shuttle,

` a picker spindle along whichthe picker moves,

and means to pivotally connect the lay and the inner end of the spindle, the axis of the pivotal connection being transverse of the path of movement of the lay.

4. In a loom having a lay movable back and forth in a given path and having a picker to move along the lay to propel a shuttle, a picker spindle along which the picker moves, a pair of spaced bearing members, a pin extending through said members, and means to establish a pivotal connection between the pin and the spindle.

5. In a loom having a lay movable back and forth in a given path and having a picker to move along the lay to propel a shuttle, a picker spindle along which the picker moves, a pair of spaced bearing members, a pin ext-ending through said members, and

-means to establish a pivotal connection between the pin and the spindle, the axis of the pin being transverse of the path of movement of the lay.

6. In a loom having a lay movable back and forth in a given path and having a picker to move along the lay to propel a shuttle, a picker spindle along which the picker moves, a pair of spaced bearing members, a pin extending through said members, and means to establish a pivotal connection between the pin and the spindle, said members being removable from the lay.

7. In a loom having a lay movable back and forth in a given path and having a picker to move along the lay to propel a shuttle, a picker spindle along which the picker moves, a bearing member normally fixed to the lay but removable therefrom, and means defining a pivotal connection between the spindle and said member, the axis of said pivotal connection being substantially perpendicular to the length of the spindle, said member being rotatable relatively to the lay about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of the spindle.

8. In a loom having a lay movable back and forth in a given path and having a picker to move along the lay to propel a shuttle, a picker spindle along which the picker moves, a pivotal connection between the lay and the inner end of the spindle constructed to prevent longitudinal movement of the spindle away from the pivotal connection, and a sliding bearing for the outer end of the spindle.

9. A picker spindle fora loomlay, a pivotal support on the lay, said spindle having a straight body portion along which a picker may move and having a perforation in one end to cooperate with the pivotal support on the loom lay.

10. In a loom having a lay movable back and forth in a given path and having a picker to move along the lay to propel a shuttle, a picker spindle having one end held with respect to the lay and along which the picker moves, and means dening a pivotal connection between the other end of the spindle and lay to prevent the spindle from moving radially away from the axis of the connection, the spindle being movable about the connection when the lay bends during movement along the aforesaid path.

11. In a loom having a lay movable back and forth and subject to bending strains during movement thereof, a picker spindle along which the picker moves to propel the shuttle, a pair of supports on the lay, one for each end of the spindle, means defining a pivotal connection between one support and the corresponding end of the spindle eective to prevent relative longitudinal movement between the lay and said last named end of the spindle, the other support constructed to CARL J LINDEGREN. 

